1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image transfer sheet and an image recording material.
2. Related Art
With the recent advance of image forming techniques, there are known methods for forming high quantity of images with equivalent print qualities at low cost by using various printing techniques, such as intaglio printing, relief printing, flat printing, rotogravure printing, screen printing, and so on. These printing techniques are also widely used in the fabrication of data recording media, including, for example, IC cards, magnetic stripe cards, optical cards, or IC/magnetic/optical cards, which can hold given data and perform contact or non-contact communications with external equipment.
The image forming method which is now predominantly used in the printing technique in need for individual prints of personal identification data (for example, the holder's photograph, name, address, date of birth, different licenses, etc.) is the use of thermal transfer printers, which employ sublimation transfer printing with ink ribbons, or fusion transfer printing.
In addition, JP-A-H5-96871, JP-A-H7-68812, JP-A-H8-142365, JP-A-H8-156302, JP-A-H9-314875, and JP-A-H11-291646 disclose a method of making a print on an image recording material using an intermediate transfer material in the thermal transfer printing system.
In this regard, the image forming (printing) process using the electrophotographic printing system involves applying an electrostatic charge on the surface of an image carrier, exposing the surface of the image carrier to light according to an image signal to form an electrostatic latent image by the potential difference between the exposed portion and the non-exposed portion, and then performing an electrostatic development using a color powder (i.e., an image forming material) called “toner” having the polarity opposite to the potential of the charges on the image carrier to form a visible image (i.e., a toner image) on the surface of the image carrier. For color printing, this process is conducted repeatedly multiple times, or a plurality of image forming units are arranged in parallel, to form a visible image in color, which image is then transferred and fused fixed, primarily by thermal melting and cooling of color powder) onto the surface of the image carrier.
Further. JP-A-2001-92255 specifies a method of printing any kind of personal information or invisible bar codes on a 250 μm thick polyvinyl chloride sheet or a 280 μm thick polyester sheet by electrophotographic printing, laying an over-film on the top of the printed side of the sheet, and then making a laminate by using a heat transfer press machine.
Further, JP-A-H11-334265 describes a method of printing personal identification information on a light-permeable sheet, where the printing is conducted in a way to form a mirror image. It is also stated that at least part of the light-permeable laminate sheet preferably includes a biaxially stretched polyester film, an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polyester film/biaxially stretched polyester film, and that the light-permeable laminate sheet may also include polyvinyl chloride.
Further, JP-A-2010-128061 discloses a method of forming an image on the surface side of an image transfer sheet on which an image receiving layer is disposed, and fabricating an image recording material, where the image transfer sheet includes the image receiving layer, a transparent support, and a substrate in this order, and the transparent support and the substrate are removable by peeling.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an image transfer sheet having a transparent support prevented from peeling when used for an image recording material.